The Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi, and the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson agreed on a common vision of a new and transformational Comprehensive Strategic Partnership between the UK and India, and adopted an ambitious India-UK Roadmap to 2030 to steer cooperation for the next 10 years. Both leaders met virtually on 4 May …

Recently, Foreign Ministers from the Group of Seven (G7) countries (USA, UK, Canada, France, Germany, Italy and Japan) held a meeting in London, UK. The 47th G7 Summit will be held in June 2021. The UK is the host country. Important points: Australia, India, South Korea, South Africa and the Chair (Brunei Darussalam) of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Australia, India, South …

Two Tribal settlements (Kattupatti and Kuzhipatti) of Pulayar community within the limits of Anamalai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu are gearing up for their annual festival of local deity Vairapattan. Important points: The Pulayar, also Pulaya, or Holeya or Cheramar, are one of the main social groups found in Kerala, Karnataka and in historical Tamil Nadu or Tamilakam. …

Recently, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has notified an Eco Sensitive Zone (ESZ) around the Thane Creek Flamingo Sanctuary (TCFS, Maharashtra). The ESZ is meant to act as a buffer for protected areas and reduces developmental pressures around a wildlife sanctuary or national park.  Important points: It is the second marine sanctuary …

According to a recent study based on fossil leaves, Indian monsoon 25 million years ago resembled present day Australia’s. Understanding the past dynamics of Indian monsoon will help in climate modelling for future monsoon prediction. Important points: The morphological characters of fossil leaves from different geological ages collected from Deccan Volcanic Province, East Garo Hills of Meghalaya, …

The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) has given permissions to Telecom Service Providers (TSPs) for conducting trials for use and applications of 5G technology. This formally leaves out Chinese companies like Huawei and ZTE from the 5G race in India. Important points: In the initial phase, these trials will be for 6 months, including a 2 month period for procurement …

A technical group on Social Stock Exchanges (SSEs), constituted by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), has submitted its report. SEBI set up the technical group in September, 2020 under the chairmanship of Harsh Bhanwala, former chairman of NABARD. Earlier, a Working Group (WG) on the SSE, chaired by Ishaat Hussain, submitted its report in …

Recently, the Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) decision to step up purchase of Government Securities (G-Sec) under the Government Securities Acquisition Programme (G-SAP) led to the yield on the benchmark 10-year bond falling below 6%. In India, the yield of 10-year G-Sec is considered the benchmark and shows the overall interest rate scenario. Important points: Bond yield is …

Recently, the Supreme Court (SC) dismissed a plea by the Election Commission of India (ECI) to restrain media from reporting oral observations of the judges. The SC ruled that the media has rights to report observations made during the course of hearings (Court Proceedings). Important points: Real-time reportage of court proceedings, including the oral exchanges in courtrooms between …

Aims to take forward PM’S Vision of celebrating India’s Cultural Diversity MyGov, the citizen engagement platform of the Government of India, in partnership with Department of Higher Education has launched an Innovation Challenge for creating an Indian Language Learning App. This Innovation Challenge has been launched to take forward Prime …